In central London, New West End Company’s Red Caps and Clean Team are this month celebrating their fifth birthday of making the shopping experience easier and more enjoyable for the 200 million visitors who go to London’s West End every year.
In the past five years, the Red Caps have contributed to the 15 per cent reduction in crime (2005/06) and helped nearly one million shoppers in the West End. The Clean Team have removed 1,500kg of chewing gum and washed, swept and brushed clean 350 miles of pavement. In 2006, the Red Caps were recognised nationally with the British Security Industry Association’s ‘Best Team’ Award.
International
Between both teams, they speak over 20 languages including Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Portugese, Spanish, French and Afrikaans.
Keeping fit
Each team member covers over 12km of the West End a day, racking up a massive 3,000km a year. The Red Caps have attended two official West End weddings, one at Café Royal and one at Virgin Megastore. Within the Red Caps and the Clean Team themselves there has been one engagement, three weddings and three babies being born in the five year period. They play a regular part in looking after the celebrities who visit the West End including Jemma and Jodie Kidd, Westlife and Thandie Newton to name a few.
All weathers
The Red Caps and Clean Team have worked on the hottest day on record, 36.6 degrees C on July 19, 2006; the hottest September ever recorded in 2006; and more recently, in 2007, the wettest June and July since records began in 1766.
Children and animals
The Red Caps have worked with police horses and dogs at various events throughout the years including the somewhat eventful opening of Primark’s flagship store this year on Oxford Street. They have also worked with a number of more unusual animals including a whole herd of reindeer during a past Regent Street Christmas Lights event. They recently helped organise a massive 255-strong human tower, nine layers high, comprised of an entire village worth of people from Spain who brought along their youngest eligible resident – a four year old!
